Every fifteen someone is killed or seriously injured in an alcohol related accident…Michael James Way and Frank Anthony Iero Jr. this is your time.

*The Night of the Accident*

Gerard Way drove the familiar route to pick up his younger brother Mikey. The two boys and their friends, Ray and Frank, were celebrating starting the production of their new and up-in-coming album. They had decided it would be easier and cheaper if they carpooled into town. Gerard stopped in front of his brother and his wife’s home and honked the horn to announce he had arrived. A few moments later the slim, tall body of his brother was approaching the car. Mikey slid into the passenger seat and handed his brother a twenty dollar bill.

“What’s this for?” Gerard asked taking the folded money.

“It’s for gas, I always feel bad if you’re driving and I don’t give you a little money.”
Mikey shrugged and buckled his seat belt.

“Thanks,” Gerard muttered and began to drive towards Frank’s home.

****

After picking up both Frank and Ray, Gerard started to head towards the city. The bright white lights from all the tall buildings lit up the horizon. As Gerard pulled off the freeway Frank’s voice could be heard from the backseat. “Who’s gonna be the designated driver for the night?”

There was a moment of silence before Gerard spoke up, “I’ll be it, didn’t really feel like drinking anyway.”

Frank let out a giggle, “Good because I wanted to have some real fun tonight.” The men erupted into a fit of laughter as Gerard pulled into the parking lot of one of the many bars in the city.

The four friends walked into the bar together and sat on the stools. The bartender took their orders, Ray and Frank had a beer each and Mikey and Gerard both ordered sodas. Gerard looked at Mikey confusion on his face. “Not ordering anything good?”

“No, I don’t really feel like getting shitfaced tonight like Frank does.” The younger brother nodded his head in Frank’s direction who was already almost on his second beer. Gerard laughed and began to talk aimlessly to his brother. As the night went on the group watched as Frank drank more and became braver with each sip he took.

He started to play pool with random strangers often calling them the names of the people in his group. Ray soon joined him, wobbling over to his short friend. Ray wrapped his arm around Frank’s shoulders, who, almost collapsed upon the sudden weight.

“This here is my buddy! We’ve been friends for ten years! Can you believe it? Ten fucking years!” Ray slurred his voice booming over the murmur of the crowd in the bar.

“Almost eleven.” Frank garbled kissing Ray on the cheek. Ray scrunched his nose and pushed Frank away. Frank lost his balance and fell to the floor in a fit of giggles.

Mikey and Gerard watched amused from the barstools. Ray helped in friend up off the floor with tremendous effort for he too was trying not to fall down.

“Eleven years,” Mikey stated, his brother looked over at him.

“What?” Gerard asked.

“Frank’s right, we’ve been in this band for nearly eleven years. That’s almost a third of my life. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.” Mikey smiled.

Gerard smirked at his baby brother, “Me neither, I’m the luckiest man in the world. I have an amazing family and my job requires working with the three most brilliant and wonderful men I know.”

Soon the hours were well past one and Gerard could feel his eyes starting to become heavy. He decided that it was time to leave, he rounded up his friends and they walked outside.

“Let me drive Gee!” Frank laughed.

“No way in Hell Frank. You’re beyond drunk.” Gerard stated looking his friend in the eyes.

“Oh c’mon Gerard I’m perfectly okay.” Frank said and tried to touch the tip of his nose but he missed completely.

“No. I’m driving now get in the back seat.” Gerard said sternly.

“No fun.” Frank muttered and climbed into the back. Gerard looked back once he got in the
car and Ray was already asleep, his soft snores filling the car.

Mikey turned on the radio and Gerard pulled out of the parking lot. The night sky was dark, the moon had hidden herself from the world that night. Gerard was hummed to the song that was playing when he looked in the rearview mirror and noticed Frank was not wearing a seat belt.

“Frank! Put on your fucking seat belt.” Gerard ordered.

Frank laughed, “I forgot too,”

“Well now pu…” Gerard was cut short when he heard his brother scream.

“Gerard!”

He looked forward and saw a pair of bright headlights heading straight towards him. He tried to swerve out of the way but it was too late. The other car collided with the front of theirs. The deafening sound of crunching metal echoed in Gerard’s ears. He could hear the sound of glass shattering and the air bags going off. Sticky, wet blood poured from his nose and mouth. Mikey felt his seat buckle break under the sudden amount of force, he went face-first through the windshield, instantly going limp. Ray woke with a start, his seat belt locked and he heard the snapping sound of a bone; a pain shot down his shoulder and arm before going numb. Frank, not having a seat belt on in the first place, was ejected through the window. He did not feel his face going through the glass, he did not feel his body hitting the pavement, he did not feel anything.

Gerard looked around and noticed his brother first. His brother’s thin frame hung loosely over the dashboard, the glass around his upper torso was covered in a thick coat of blood.

“Mikey!” Gerard screamed, “Mikey! God please move!”

But Mikey did not move he remained still...deathly still. Gerard let out a sob, a sharp pain shot through his face. Gerard saw red and blue lights approaching behind him. Soon a man dressed in firemen attire appeared at his window.

“Please don’t move sir, the ambulances are on their way.” The man ordered.

“M-my brother.” Gerard muttered in a shaky tone. The fireman glanced at the flaccid body of Mikey and tried not to grimace.

“We’re going to get him help too; everything is going to be okay.” The man nodded and was
soon joined by a whole squad of men.

They opened Gerard’s door and carefully escorted him and Ray to the back of an ambulance. Paramedics began to work on both of the men but they were not interested in themselves but their friends.

Ray saw the mutilated body of Frank before he was covered in a plastic yellow sheet. Ray could feel himself shaking, Frank was dead…gone. Eleven years of friendship of brotherhood gone.

Gerard tried to see his brother; the firemen had been working on getting him out of the vehicle for a long time. Ray’s words got Gerard’s attention.

“Frank’s dead. Gerard he’s really dead.” Gerard could hear the sorrow in his voice. Gerard felt as if his world was collapsing around him. Frank dead? It simply couldn’t be. But it was, Gerard glanced over to where a yellow sheet covered a body. He looked at the hand that laid limply out, H-A-L-L…he knew then that it indeed was Frank.

Gerard saw in another ambulance a young man, his head in his hands. Blood covered his knuckles and he could see a faint outline of a gash on the man’s forehead. A police officer walked up to him and started to ask questions. The officer ran tests on the man, and finally he brought out a breathalyzer. Gerard watched as the man blew into the machine. A few moments later the cop shook his head and started to talk again. This was all before turning the man around and cuffing both his hands behind his back.

Anger boiled inside of Gerard, a pure hatred devoured his heart. This man was driving drunk! He killed his best-friend because he couldn’t afford a taxi. Wait, Gerard thought, I still haven't seen Mikey.

He heard a lot of shouting from the passenger side of the car, he couldn’t stand it anymore he got up and started to walk over to where his brother was.

“Sir you need to sit down!” A woman called behind him but he ignored her. He stumbled over to the opposite side of the car and saw Mikey. He was on a stretcher, blood cover his face from a large gash across his forehead. His neck also covered in blood from an equally large wound on the right side of his neck. The fireman that had originally spoken to him looked up at Gerard with apologetic eyes before zipping up the front of a yellow body bag.

Gerard felt dizzy; he fell to his knees and emptied his stomach on the black pavement. His baby brother was gone. Mikey was dead. He felt someone help him up and walk him back to the ambulance. Ray must’ve already been taken to the hospital because he was gone.

“They’re gone.” Gerard muttered.

He watched as two body bags, holding his brother and his best-friend were loaded into the back of two white vans. The doors were closed and in big black letters that read CORONER.

The bleeding from his nose had stopped and the paramedic was cleaning up the blood that had dried onto his face. “You’re lucky, it’s not even broken.” She said dabbing the side of his nose.

Gerard shook his head, he was not lucky in the slightest. He’d lost two of the people that meant the world to him. He lost them because one man decided that he could drink and drive. One mistake had taken two lives far before it was their time.

A/N: Every 15 Minutes is a program that the police office holds every year for high school students. It explains the dangers of drinking and driving. It’s a really good program, I suggest looking them up.